The Roca Team endured a crushing defeat against Real Madrid away on the evening of Thursday, December 19, falling 94-72 during the 17th round of the regular season, just days after dominating Bayern Munich 93-74 at the Salle Gaston-Médecin.
Real Madrid, fresh off a victory over Paris Basketball earlier in the week, delivered another commanding performance, dominating Monaco on home turf. From the outset, Madrid imposed its will, leading by double digits after the first quarter (27-16) and extending the gap to 18 points by halftime (53-35).
The Spanish side outclassed Monaco across the board, particularly in rebounding (41-29) and three-point shooting (29.2 percent success rate for Monaco). A devastating 24-12 third-quarter run saw Real stretch their lead to 30 points (77-47), leaving Monaco with a mountain too steep to climb. A brief 11-0 rally by Monaco in the fourth quarter was promptly quashed as Madrid resumed their offensive dominance.
The victory marked a strong resurgence for Real Madrid, who began the game in 13th place but proved their capability against one of the league’s strongest teams. For Monaco, it was a humbling performance. The team’s 72 points marked their second-lowest scoring output of the 2024-2025 EuroLeague season, trailing only their 63-62 loss to Zalgiris Kaunas in November. Mike James led the Monegasques with 19 points, with Jordan Loyd (13 points), Donatas Motiejunas (12 points), and Matthew Strazel (10 points) providing some support.
The Roca Team, now sitting second in the standings, will look to bounce back in their next game against Anadolu Efes Istanbul at home on Thursday, December 26, hoping to reclaim their earlier form and challenge for the top spot once more.
